KF
kevin fonseca
Apr 20, 2026
On April 9, 2026, I purchased a Carquest Premium front brake caliper for my 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. This is not a cheap item, and during installation, the part was clearly defective—the lower mounting bolt would not tighten, making it unusable. What should have been a simple exchange turned into a 3-day breakdown in customer service and operations.
When I called the store, instead of quickly verifying my purchase through my Perks account, I was questioned about whether I even bought the part there. After confirming the purchase, I was told it was out of stock. I personally located one at another store and suggested a transfer, which the associate agreed to and confirmed would arrive the next day by 3 PM.
The next day, I arrived after work only to be told there was no record of the order. I had to explain everything again. After escalating to the store manager, I was assured the part would be ready the following day, along with a confirmation call—which I did receive.
On the third day, I returned and was given an open-box replacement. Upon installation, I discovered the part was incomplete and had incorrect hardware (wrong/missing clips and bleeder screw). I was forced to reuse old components just to make the vehicle operable.
To make matters worse, given the time, inconvenience, and the fact this was an expensive purchase, I requested at least a 50% refund or partial compensation. The store manager’s response was that his General Manager was “on vacation” and only the GM had the authority to approve any refund if deemed necessary. That is not an acceptable resolution—customers should not be left without recourse due to internal staffing limitations.
This entire situation reflects:
Repeated misinformation and broken promises
Poor inventory and order management
Failure to verify parts before issuing them
Lack of accountability at both associate and management levels
No meaningful effort to resolve or compensate the customer
Customers depend on these parts for critical vehicle safety. Supplying defective and incomplete components—while mishandling a basic exchange and refusing reasonable resolution—is unacceptable.
This matter needs to be escalated to corporate. At minimum, I expect proper compensation and a review of how this store handles defective parts and customer service failures.